Research education and training

The success of any clinical research study depends on highly trained study teams. Each study team should have effective and efficient processes and have a mind-set that is absolutely focused on protecting patients’ rights and assurance of data integrity as well as the day to day conduct of the study.

To achieve this, each member of the research team must be appropriately qualified and experienced for their role on the research study and must participate in ongoing training and education appropriate to their role.

The Office for Research supports the ongoing education and training of its researchers and study staff by providing a range of education and training options. We also encourage researchers to provide suggestions for potential education sessions that may be of benefit. Please email you suggestions to researchgovernance@mh.org.au.

Research email updates – to ensure you receive training and other research updates send your Melbourne Health (MH) email address along with your position description (i.e. PI, AI, research nurse) to researchgovernance@mh.org.au and include “Request to add researcher to research email list” in the subject line of the email.

Coordinator Support Group – monthly sessions

Research Coordinators and Managers are vital to the efficient and effective conduct of clinical research. The Office for Research is committed to helping you manage your research projects and find solutions to the problems that you encounter along the way. The support groups will provide a platform to share knowledge, ask for ideas/help, discuss problems, raise issues that collectively we may be able to find solutions to and share successes. The sessions are safe spaces to encourage open sharing of ideas and problem solving but will only be effective with input from you.

Date/Time

Topic

Registration

Wednesday 20 March

10.00am - 11.00am

TBA

not yet open

Monday 29 April

10.00am - 11.00am

TBA

not yet open

Tuesday 14 May

10.00am - 11.00am

TBA

not yet open

Wednesday 19 June

10.00am - 11.00am

TBA

not yet open

Tuesday 16 July

10.00am - 11.00am

Research Grants - applications and ongoing management

Not yet open

Missed a session?

If you missed a session, click on a CSG session topic below to review the slides:

REDCap Support Group – monthly sessions

REDCap is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. Using REDCap at MH means that the data is stored on the MH server. These sessions are aimed to support Melbourne Health users of the database and are run by the Office for Research in conjunction with the Business Intelligence Unit. The sessions will provide a basic overview of how to get started using REDCap and provide a platform for you to ask questions and obtain answers to any problems you may be having.

Refer to the Office for Research MH REDCap FAQ sheet for further information about the system and getting started.

Session time TBC.

GCP Training

Good clinical practice (GCP) is the international standard for conducting clinical research.

Face to face GCP training sessions are open to Melbourne Health staff and external persons. GCP training is provided on-site at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street Parkville. Fees may apply.

Online training is available for Melbourne Health staff and MDRP students attending MH only.

The MH requirement for GCP Training

MH has implemented the requirement that ALL members of the Melbourne Health research team, including Principal Investigators, Associate Investigators, Research Nurses and Research Coordinators/Managers, conducting research at MH hold current, formal GCP certification training.

The GCP training must meet the minimum criteria set out by TransCelerate Biopharma Inc. and appears on the list of courses located on the TransCelerate Biopharma Inc. website.

Note: From 1 July 2019, face to face GCP training will be mandatory for ALL MH members of MH research teams. Face to face training provides interactive and stimulating learning where researchers can ask questions relevant to their studies and experiences, challenge information and receive instant feedback.

This initiative means that if your current GCP training is via an online module, you will need to book in and complete face to face training before 1 July 2019. It is MH's preference for research staff to maintain current face to face GCP training, renewed every three years.

Note, MDRP students may complete online training in place of face to face training.

Fees

The following fees and conditions apply to face to face training provided by the Office for Research.

Attendee

Fee ($AU excl. GST)*

MH Employee

N/A

Student

50.00

External persons (non-MH employees)

150.00

*Note: fees incur GST and a service fee from Eventbrite

Cancellation conditions

MH employees: Cancellation of the booking will not attract a fee if notification is received at least 24 hours prior the session. Bookings may be transferred to another session if request to transfer is received at least 24 hours prior to commencement of the session. Non-attendance will incur a $50 fee unless the booking has been canceled, or request to transfer is received, at least 24 hours prior to commencement of the session.

External persons and students: canceled booking will not receive a refund. Bookings may be transferred to another session if request to transfer is received at least 2 days prior to commencement of the session at no extra cost.

*Once a course has reached maximum capacity a waiting list will commence. As places are limited, if you have registered for a course, but are unable to attend please cancel your registration so the place can be allocated to a person on the wait list.

Online training

MH will accept online training in available in the following instances:

MH employees: where the required start time on a study does not permit attendance at a face to face training session. Subsequent face to face training must be completed within 3 months if the date of online training. Access to online training requires approval from the Research Governance Manager.

Students - Only University of Melbourne MDRP students undertaking activities at MH may complete an online GCP training managed by the Office for Research. The MH student supervisor, or the student (with cc to MH student supervisor), should contact the MH Manager Research Governance and Audit by email at sarah.rickard@mh.org.au to request online training. Please include confirmation that the MDRP student is undertaking activities at MH and the host department. There is no cost for online training.

Quick reference information to complement GCP

IQVIA (formally Quintiles) have provided handy information cards to assist researchers and research coordinators in management of their studies. These cards have been provided by IQVIA to Melbourne Health because we are IQVIA's prime site in Australia. Reading these cards is for information only and does not constitute GCP certified training.

These cards are IQVIA’s proprietary information and should not be removed from Melbourne Health or shared with any third party.

The documents are an aid and do not replace any regulatory documents or Melbourne Health SOPs.

These materials do not constitute legal advice.

If you have any questions regarding the content of these cards, please contact your IQVIA study Monitor or the Office for Research at researchgovernance@mh.org.au.

GCP Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guideline?

Good clinical practice (GCP) is the international standard for conducting clinical research and provides a framework for ensuring participants rights safety and well-being are protected and the data generated is credible. The GCP guideline details the requirements for stakeholder responsibilities, participant consent, documentation, protocols and amendments, requirements such as indemnity, reporting lines for adverse events and provision of medical care for trial participants. Originally developed for pharmaceutical trials, this guidance has become known as the “Good Clinical Practice” (GCP) guideline has becoming widely adopted as the standard for all clinical research.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has also adopted the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceutical for Human Use (ICH) GCP guidelines in Australia. The TGA has provided advice on the guideline relevant to the Australian context on the TGA website.

Who needs to complete GCP training?

All MH researchers conducting clinical research at MH must hold current, formal GCP certification training. This includes Principal Investigators, Associate Investigators, Research Nurses and Coordinators/Managers.

Does the requirement for GCP training apply only to researchers conducting clinical trials?

No, ALL members of MH researcher teams conducting clinical research at MH must hold current, formal GCP certification training. This include the study principal investigator, associate investigators, research nurses and coordinators, data managers.

The clinical research may be Quality Assurance studies, retrospective audits, clinical research or clinical trials.

How can I access the GCP Guideline?

Click here to access the current GCP guideline (revision 2) from the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceutical for Human Use (ICH) website.

What type of GCP courses are available?

Face to face and online training courses are available.

Face to face - training sessions and online training is available via the Office for Research.

Note: From 1 July 2019, face to face GCP training will be mandatory for ALL MH members of MH research teams.

Face to face training is provided on site at MH and is the preferred training method as the sessions are interactive and researchers can ask questions that are applicable to their research study.

Online training - Melbourne Health also has access to an online training program which is available to MH employees. Alternatively, you can source any one of the many courses available through a training provider.

Important note: Remember to ensure that any GCP training you complete meets the minimum criteria set out by TransCelerate Biopharma Inc. and appears on the list of courses on TransCelerate Biopharma Inc. for the list of training providers.

Important note: Research staff that complete online training may be asked to complete face to face GCP training prior to the expiry of their current GCP certificate.

How do I access GCP training?

MH researchers who do not hold current GCP certification should book into a training session using the links on this page (refer under GCP Training above).

MH has adopted the minimum standards defined by TransCelerate Biopharma Inc. to recognise GCP training courses that contain material meeting the minimum criteria agreed to by its member organisations. Acceptable GCP training courses are those listed on TransCelerate Biopharma Inc.

What do I do with my GCP certificate?

Principal Investigators (PI) are required to provide evidence that all MH researchers and staff involved in the conduct of a research study at MH are appropriately qualified, including holding current GCP certification. Therefore, you should:

File the GCP certificate in your training record;

Provide a copy of the GCP certificate to the PI and/or coordinator for each clinical research project that you are involved in; and

Forward a copy of the GCP certificate to the Office for Research.

GCP certificates for all MH researcher team members should be included in the study research governance application submitted to the Office for Research.

How long does GCP certification last?

GCP certification is valid for three years unless the certification period stated on the GCP certificate is less than 3 years.

For instance, if the certificate does not specify an expiry date, MH recognises GCP certification for three years.

If the certificate states a two-year expiry date, then GCP training will be required after two years.

What happens when my GCP certification expires

If you are still involved in clinical research at MH, then you will need to update your GCP training by completing another GCP training course, this may be a refresher course.